Wisconsin Banking Rates and News

If you haven't been turned off by what Fort Knox Federal Credit Union did in 2011, you may want to consider its current CD special. It just came out with a special 46-month CD with a 2.05% APY. There’s also a special 14-month CD with a 1.00% APY. Minimum deposit is $500. These rates are listed in the credit union's Term Share Certificate Rates page as of 2/21/2014.

The small print at the bottom of the credit union’s rates page describes the early withdrawal penalty:

Note, the small print includes language that...

BB&T has brought back its $125 checking account promotion. Like the one last year, you can qualify for the bonus without direct deposit. That’s rare these days. The one downside remains the same. All of BB&T's checking accounts have potential monthly service fees. So if you open the checking account for the bonus, you have to make sure to avoid the fees.

To qualify for the $125 bonus, customers must open a BB&T checking account and either 1) use online bill pay for 3 bill payments with a minimum payment of...

KeyBank has another checking account promotion. Unlike its past ones, this one offers a free 16GB Kindle Fire HD instead of cash.That Kindle model is currently selling on Amazon for $169. Like before it's an online-only offer, and it’s only available in certain areas of the country that are in KeyBank’s market area (see below). Here’s the link to KeyBank’s promo page. The offer is scheduled to last until February 28, 2014.

The bonus requires that you open a qualifying KeyBank checking account online and enter offer code ONFT0114 by February...

Fifth Third Bank has a new checking account promotion. They’ll give $150 to Stand Up To Cancer and $150 to you when you open a new checking account with direct deposit and make three online bill payments. The account must be opened by March 31, 2014. The direct deposit and the three online bill payments must be completed within 90 days of account opening to qualify for the bonus. Bonus will be deposited into the new checking account within 6 weeks of completing requirements. The full details of this offer...

Huntington Bank has again come out with a sign-up bonus for its Asterisk-Free Checking. This is one of the rare free checking accounts that still exists at big banks. It has no monthly service fee or minimum balance requirement.

It’s a $150 bonus. Here’s the link to the bank’s promotion page. It’s scheduled to end on 3/14/2014. The bonus is now easier to qualify for. Unlike last year, there’s no debit card usage requirement. This one only requires the following two steps:

• Open a new personal checking account using the apply...

Fifth Third Bank has come out with some new CD specials. There are two changes from Fifth Third’s CD promotions from last fall. For most of Fifth Third’s market area, the bank is offering a 1.75% APY 5-year CD. For the Florida market, this long-term CD promotion is a 2.00% APY 6-year CD. The other CD promotions are the same as last fall with a 1.50% APY 4-year CD, a 1.25% APY 38-month CD and a 1.00% APY 28-month CD. Minimum deposit is $5,000, and a new or existing checking...

Bank of the Bluegrass and Trust Co. has recently started to offer Kasasa accounts with an online application, and they are currently allowing people in any state to apply. The reward checking account is called Kasasa Cash, and the linked savings account is called Kasasa Saver. There’s also a cash-back checking account called Kasasa Cash Back in which customers can earn 3% cash back on purchases up to $250 monthly. This cash-back account is best suited for those who plan to keep small balances in their accounts. The Kasasa Cash...

We’re now seeing some large banks raising their long-term CD rates. The latest is Fifth Third Bank which is offering a special 4-year CD with a 1.50% APY. You can get a higher 4-year CD rate at a few internet banks and credit unions, but this 1.50% APY is competitive especially for large banks. There are also shorter-term CD specials: a 1.25% APY 38-month CD and a 1.00% APY 28-month CD. Minimum deposit is $5,000, and a new or existing checking account is required. These rates are listed in Fifth...

I was able to find another bank that is currently allowing people from any state to apply online for its reward checking account. Most banks either require a branch visit to open an account or limit new customers to their market area. It’s Franklin Bank & Trust Company, and it’s offering competitive rates on both a reward checking account and a companion savings account. I first reported on this bank and its reward checking account in early 2009. The rate has fallen, but the balance cap has held. The reward...

If you haven't been turned off by what Fort Knox Federal Credit Union did in 2011, you may want to consider its current CD specials. The two best deals are a 1.40% APY 23-month CD and a 1.20% APY 14-month CD. There’s also a 0.75% APY 9-month CD special. Minimum deposit is $500. These rates are listed in the credit union's Term Share Certificate Rates page as of 8/6/2013. Thanks to DA member Pearlbrown for reporting on this in the DA forum.

The last time I reported on Fort Knox...